Spreading Algae
Eighth Edition 281 • uncommon
- Set
- Eighth Edition
- Collector number
- 281
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Mana cost
- green mana
- Type
- Enchantment
- Colors
- Green
- Artist
- Stephen Daniele
- Market price
- $0.24
What it does
Enchant Swamp
When enchanted land becomes tapped, destroy it.
When this Aura is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, return it to its owner's hand.
Where you can play it
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerNot legal
- ModernLegal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- CommanderLegal
- PauperNot legal
- BrawlNot legal
- HistoricNot legal
- TimelessNot legal
- Penny DreadfulNot legal
- OathbreakerLegal
Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Card text via Scryfall. Not approved or endorsed by Wizards. As of the last catalogue refresh.
Where to find one
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Where it came from
Spreading Algae was originally printed in the Stronghold expansion of Magic: The Gathering in 1998, with the Eighth Edition version released in 2003 as part of the game's core set refresh. It was designed as a niche utility enchantment, allowing players to turn a target Swamp into a mana-producing source of green mana while providing a way to destroy it later. The card reflects the mechanical focus of the era on land interaction and color-fixing utility.
The Eighth Edition printing features artwork by Greg Staples, who utilized a dark, atmospheric style typical of the period's card illustrations. The design aim was to create a visually unsettling representation of parasitic growth overtaking a landscape. Upon release, the card was received primarily as a sideboard tool in competitive play, noted for its ability to disrupt mono-black strategies by altering the utility of their basic lands.
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About Spreading Algae
Spreading Algae is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Eighth Edition 281 • uncommon. Catalog data is sourced from Scryfall. No public cards collectors track this one yet — adding yours would make you the first on collecto.rs.
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